(One more for tonight 😅) After a recent bout of nightmares about his mother (and her abusive behavior, physical and emotional), Kaneki reveals to Akira, Touka and Suzuya (his little brother in this, after they find each other again) that his mother wasn’t who he made her out to be all this time.

“Nightmares, you say?” Akira sips her coffee and waits.

“Every night, he winds up crying. I don’t know what to do.” Touka rubs her belly.

“Intervention time.” Akira points at Touka. “Touka, get Suzuya. Amon, make sure no one disturbs us. I’ll catch our king. That’s an order.”

“Yes ma’am.” Amon salutes her, and she winks at him.

Two hours later

“What’s this about?” Kaneki halts as soon s Akira drags him across the kitchen threshold. She’d said she needed help with cooking, but Suzuya and Touka await instead.

“We’re worried.” Suzuya is sucking on a lollipop that the very-pregnant Touka eyes with envy.

“What?”

“Your wife says you’re having nightmares. As your mother, I’m concerned. Touka needs sleep before the baby, because you can kiss sleep goodbye after.” Akira crosses her arms. “Spill.”

“I – I -” Kaneki flushes. As your mother. “Mother.”

“What about her?” Suzuya is always intrigued to hear more about the woman he can’t remember.

“She …”

“She abandoned you to martyr herself. She taught you the same. I know,” Touka says.

Akira’s eyes sting. She can’t imagine what would have happened if Dad had focused on CCG instead of her.

“Is that what you dream about?” Touka asks quietly.

“No. Her…hitting me. Whenever I did something wrong. She’d say she did it because she loved me and I – I don’t know, she’s dead. I shouldn’t be mad at her, but I am.” Kaneki sinks to his knees and weeps.

“I’m mad at my Dad still.” Touka sits besides Kaneki. “I didn’t know that. I am so sorry.”

Akira gulps. Was she the best mother figure Kaneki had? All the moments of Arima and her re-training him don’t sit well anymore. “Kaneki, that’s terrible.”

“I already knew,” Suzuya says quietly. “I mean, I don’t remember her, but … the way you’re scared of doing wrong, the way you flinch when people try to hug you – you’re like some of the scrappers I knew in the restaurant.” He shuffles closer to his brother. “I still have dreams, good and bad, of Madam. It’s okay.”

“Kaneki, I won’t let anyone hurt you again,” Akira says. “Well, not like that, at least. We are in a war.”

Kaneki smiles. “Thanks, Mom.”

She laughs and ruffles his hair.

Touka wraps her arms around Kaneki. “You’re gonna be a good dad. And I won’t hurt you. I love you. You’re safe here, with us.”

“We’re your family,” sings Suzuya. “We’ll never leave you or abuse you. That’s not what families do.”

He pauses. “Mr. Shinohara told me that.”

“Shinohara was right.” Kaneki draws a shuddery breath and squeezes Touka tight. What if this new feeling floating before him?

It’s acceptance.

Kaneki and Touka are super worried about being parents, with Kaneki fearing that he will be like his mother and Touka fearing she will be like Arata. But when Rin and Ayato come down with the flu, they realize they had absolutely nothing to worry about, and they reminisce together on their days of taking care of their precious baby sibling.

Kaneki swallows. The baby kicks around in Touka’s stomach, and it’s cute, but he can’t be happy.

Because what if he hits him/her?

Because what if he dies soon and leaves him all alone?

Touka sees the angst on Ken’s face and sighs. They’re in a war. What if she should be arrested, and the baby grows up never knowing her? What if the baby hates her, or even feels angry, like she is angry at Arata?

“Ah-choo!” Ayato staggers into GOAT headquarters with flushes cheeks and ashen skin.

“Ayato?”

“She – she got me sick!” He points accusingly at Rin, who follows him in. She, too, is sweating and shaking.

“I didn’t know ghouls could get the flu.” Ayato’s voice rises. “It’s not fair!”

“It might not be fair, but both of you are going to bed. Right now.” Touka grabs for Ayato.

He evades her. “You can’t get the brat sick!”

“Your nephew or niece is not a brat!” Rin yells.

“I’ve got this.” Kaneki takes Rin’s arm and motions for Ayato to follow. “I’ll get Yomo involved if you put up a fight.”

Ayato hangs his head and follows the King.

“Here.” Touka pours a glass of soda for Rin and blood for Ayato. “Take these in for them, Kaneki.”

“Will do.”

When he returns, Kaneki washes his hands immediately. He sighs.

“You know,” says Touka, “I think we’re doing all right.”

“Hmm?”

She laughs. “I’m remembering the days Ayato and I would get sick after Dad fed us human food. I’d be holding back his hair and comforting him. Even then, I knew hurting us wasn’t okay.”

She glances at her husband. “You know? We’ll be okay parents.”

Kaneki swallows. “I abandoned Rin.”

“Yeah, but you’re taking care of her now.”

He smiles tentatively. “True.”

He recalls taking the blame for her mistakes, so Mom would hit him instead of her. Maybe that’s why he turned out worse than Rin. But maybe that’s also why he’ll be a successful parent.

“We’re learning, I guess.” Kaneki strokes Touka’s belly. “Baby GOAT’s gonna be okay.”

“They sure are.” Touka winks.

Saiko, after finding out Sasaki/Kaneki wasn’t actually beheaded on stage in front of the CCG, goes to look for him at re to further calm her fears and make sure he is okay sans Mutsuki and Aura and they reunite

Saiko knows where Maman is. Actually, Urie does too, but he’s too much a coward to come with her, because if he sees Maman he’ll feel bound to arrest him.

Saiko though? She doesn’t feel obligated. She didn’t even choose this life.

But she did choose Maman. He’s her Maman. She loves him, and dammit, she’s gonna find him.

As for Mutsuki, she doesn’t even know. She’s worried about that boy. He needs Sasaki to help him.

“Oh my god, you are terrible at hiding,” Saiko announces as she strolls into Re.

Kaneki Ken drops his coffee.

“Really? Why are you so obtuse? I realize you were just executed, but still. What if next time they actually catch you?!” Saiko puts her hands on her hips.

“I have no idea who this girl is, but I like her,” Nishiki announces.

“You’re one of the Quinx.” The manager approaches. “Why did you come to find him?”

“Because I like seeing him alive!” Saiko shakes her head. “I watched you die and it was horrible.”

Kaneki’s face falls. Saiko cared if he died? The Quinx all cared?

Of course they did.

“Ken.” Touka points to Saiko. “You said the Quinx were your family. Be a dad.”

She flushes at Nishiki’s wink.

“Saiko, I do miss you.”

“So why? Mutsuki’s losing his mind – he’s been sick since Rushima. Urie’s closed off. I have no one and it’s like we meant nothing to you!”

“Because I – I am not Sasaki!” Kaneki squeezes his eyes shut.

“Yes you are, you blockhead!” Saiko growls. “You’re Sasaki and Kaneki Ken. Sasaki is a part of you. Don’t forget him and don’t forget us! Now, apologize.”

Kaneki’s eyes moisten. “I really am sorry.”

“Good.” She opens her arms, and Kaneki falls into them.

Saiko x Kaneki/Sasaki pairing scenario please! With Ken/Haise being affectionate father figure to Saiko and Saiko calling him “Maman”

o.O I haven’t seen much for this pairing. Thanks for sending it in!

“Maman, you haven’t hugged me today.”

“Saiko, I hugged you this morning before work.” Sasaki looks up from his computer with a start.

“That was four hours ago. Long enough to forget.” Saiko puckers her lips. “I’m tired and hungry and I want lunch.”

Sasaki wraps an arm around her. “Satisfied?”

“Nah.” Saiko peers at his computer. “I want to know what you’re working on so much you’d forget lunch with me.”

“I didn’t forget. You’re 15 minutes early.” Sasaki pulls her close and points. “I’m tracking some suspicious activity in our Rc scanners.”

“Interesting.” Saiko yawns. “I’m hungry.”

She pauses. “Wait. Our Rc scanners?”

“Indeed.” Sasaki looks troubled.

Is someone at CCG a ghoul? Part ghoul? Saiko frowns. “This is definitely time for an ice-cream date instead of lunch. Come on. Up. Confess your woes to Saiko.”

Haise allows himself to be pulled out of CCG by this blue-haired breeze.

can I get some cute fluffy Furukane? I need something to deal with ch 143

*hands out antidotes to Ch. 143*

“Wait, wait, wait.” Kaneki waves his arms around. “You’re telling me your grand plan was to turn me into a kakuja monster and bring everyone down with you?”

“It hinged on my death, yes.” Furuta sips his coffee.

“Fruit, that’s the stupidest plan ever.” Touka scowls at him from where she’s wiping tables across the cafe.

“No, the saddest.” Tsukiyama winks at him. “I love the drama, though, Souta.”

“But we want you to be alive.” Kaneki touches his shoulder. “I want you alive.”

“I know.” Furuta flushes. He wasn’t counting on Kaneki kidnapping him that moment he confessed his grand upbringing. He wasn’t counting on Kaneki being so decisive, on declaring that the world must know the truth about the Garden. On Kaneki pitying him.

And slowly, as their plans against V took shape, he’d realized he needed Kaneki in his life. He awoke happy to be alive because Kaneki was there.

Kaneki cared.

Kaneki watches Furuta with a smile. Shio runs up to show off his latest moves, Touka curses him for knocking over her cup of coffee, and Furuta actually smiles.

If Furuta can change, if Tsukiyama and Touka and Kaneki himself can change, the world has a change of uniting across species.

He hopes Furuta hasn’t guessed his feelings yet.

Across the table, Furuta hopes the same. He’s already told Kaneki everything he did to Rize. They’re planning to raid Kanou’s lab again and rescue her. He knows she’ll probably hate him – and should – but once they’ve rescued her, once he’s rectified at least one thing he’s done wrong, he plans on kissing Kaneki.

A scenario where Aura and Kaneki forgive each other and Aura gets over his hatred of Kaneki for supposedly hurting his aunt

“Mutsuki!” Kaneki screams at the sight of his charred friend, his child.

“Don’t touch him.” Aura can’t move – his spine is still regenerating. No – Tooru – I will protect you.

Kaneki ignores him to drag Mutsuki’s limp body off the pipes. He uses his own kagune to feed Mutsuki his own flesh.

What the fuck?

Mutsuki moans. He remains unconscious but his color begins, ever so slowly, to return.

Kaneki walks over to Aura.

You ain’t feeding me blood, bitch. Aura gapes up at him. He’s helpless. “Why?”

“I’m sorry about your aunt. Aura Kiyoko is a badass.” Kaneki sighs. “Yes, I hit her after she killed two Squad Zero children. I could have killed her, but I chose not to. I don’t like killing, you see.”

“You might as well have,” Aura rasps. Aunt Kiyoko? Kill children? Liar.

“She’s alive. She’s still your aunt. You can still speak to her.” Kaneki’s eyes moisten. “I can’t do that to my mother, or to Arima, or anyone I’ve lost.”

“You killed Arima.”

“I didn’t.” Kaneki is tired of the lies.

“Kill me. Fight me.” Aura struggles to stand, but his limbs are useless. Kaneki isn’t lying, and he wants him to. Give me a reason to hate you.

“I don’t want to. I want to help you. Humans and ghouls and…in-betweens.” Kaneki shakes his head.

Let it go, said Aunt Kiyoko.

He didn’t understand before.

She killed children. Human children. Kaneki cared for them.

Aura remembers his response to Tooru’s electrocution. That’s why he’s paralyzed, even if momentarily, right?

He begins to sob. Somewhere deep in his heart, he can feel his anger ebbing, and it leaves him with an emptiness he doesn’t know how to fill.

But if he follows Kaneki, maybe he will.

Eto having another interaction with Hide

Eto my Eto.

“Having fun without your friend?” Eto bounces outside Aogiri’s headquarters.

Hide stops walking away.

“You miss him, don’t you?” Eto purrs.

“Ah – courth.”

“Of course,” Eto translates. “Well, I’ll have you know, if all goes well, I’ll be seeing him in Cochlea pretty soon.”

Hige glowers at her from behind his mask. It’s not in Eto’s nature to help. His requests would be pointless.

All he can do is hold up a pen and paper.

You like him because he has so many people who love him. He has what you want.

Eto merely laughs. “You’re absolutely correct, Nagachika.”

“Don’t worry about me,” she adds.

I worry about everyone, Owl.

“You better worry more about your CCG plan, then. Don’t think I don’t know about that.” Eto snickers and turns to waltz away.

Hide grabs her arm.

Don’t think I don’t know you know.

Eto nods with approval. “I’m counting on you, kid.”

Kaneki needs him like he needs his Anteiku friends. He doesn’t need her for anything other than catalysis.

Love. She really does like it, even if she can’t understand it.

Ayato coming back and finding the base destroyed, many of goat dead, Miza tending to a “sleeping” Naki and his sister, Hinami, Tsukiyama and the half-hassed bastard missing.

Ayato smells the blood before he emerges from the underground. He hears the army of ghouls murmur behind him. He hears a sob.

“Miza?”

Ayato stops short.

Children – the Oggai – dead. The white suits are now bloodstained. And Miza sobs at Naki’s side.

He’s dead. Ayato’s stomach rolls. “Miza, where is Touka? Hina?”

“Yomo sent them on.” Miza wipes her eyes. “Who – who are these people?”

“The people we’re fighting for,” Ayato says grimly. “Looks like we’re having a battle sooner than expected.”

He sounds calm, but inwardly – Touka! Hinami! And that half-assed bastard. Where are they? Uncle Yomo?

Up ahead, he sees two CCG investigators moaning on the ground.

“Bind them,” Ayato orders. He’ll tend to them later.

Further still, he sees a stumbling figure in a torn trench coat. “Yomo!”

The Raven’s eyes widen. “Ayato.”

He rushes towards his uncle. “Where are the others?”

“Follow me,” Yomo says firmly. He immediately slouches over, and Miza props him up.

“Lean on me.”

More wails come from around the corner. Arima Yusa is punching Hirako Take over and over and over in his shoulders.

“Take!” Yomo gasps.

“Where’s Shio and Rikai?” Miza asks with dread.

Hirako turns his bloodshot eyes to Yomo. “I couldn’t save them. They – ”

He breaks down in tears, and Ayato snaps his fingers.

“We have to keep moving. Bring them along,” he orders. Two more ghouls pick up Hirako and Yusa.

A distinctly human smell comes from tunnel 14.

Many investigators.

Ayato motions for the wounded to stay behind. “Miza, watch over them.”

She nods, and he prepares to attack. No one is hurting Touka and Hinami. He can’t even imagine them dying yet.

“Charge!”

Ayato flies forward on his ukaku.

Touka meets his eyes. HInami is with her, and the Aogiri children – surrounded by CCG agents.

“Back the fuck off!” Ayato screams. If he’d been a second later, they’d have killed his sister and – and her, his butterfly.

A little investigator, that tiny Arima, turns around to face him.

Suddenly, Ayato screams.

That’s Arata’s kakuja.

“Dad!” screams Touka, firing Rc shards towards the investigator.

The investigator tries to move, but the armor locks.

“You bastard!” Ayato feels himself crying, but he sends the investigator head over heels towards Touka.

Touka hurls his quinque across the tunnel.

“The only reason I’m keeping you alive is that Kaneki loves you,” she hisses. Suzuya looks horrified.

“Speaking of Ken, where is the half-assed bastard?” snarls Ayato. Most of the investigators have surrendered, and those who haven’t have been killed. Kaneki won’t like it, but this is fucking war.

And that armor hurts him.

“He saved me and got caught up ahead,” Hinami cries.

“You won’t win!” Ayato yells at Suzuya before grabbing Hina by the hand. “Everyone who’s not guarding the prisoners, with me!”

“This way!” Hinami leads Ayato down the tunnel, treasuring every second by his side.

ui feeling guilty about shio’s death

My hear! *narrows eyes* He better mourn in the manga because I’m still crying about it in real life.

Ui watches Hajime toss his kids’ heads before Kaneki.

He wants to feel numb, but all he feels is despair.

Hairu’s relative.

His kid.

The kids he trained for years. The kids who never failed to make him smile – even during this fight, Shio’s dramatic dive drew a smile.

Surely they weren’t traitors. Hirako was to blame, the coward who’d grabbed a hysterical Yusa and run before Hajime had taken the last Arima.

Shio was gone.

Rikai was gone.

They’d been alive an hour ago. They probably woke up this morning happy.

Ui feels tears in his eyes. This isn’t fair.

He blames Kaneki. He blames Hirako. He blames Hajime and Furuta and himself.

If he’d not hesitated, he could have shoved Shio out of the way.

He failed to save him.

He’s lost more family.

But two kids lost more. Their lives.

Ui watches Hajime taunt Kaneki. Why is he on the side of those who’d laugh at children’s deaths? Kaneki looks as anguished as Ui feels.

“A word, Hajime.” Ui shoves past the brat and kneels before Kaneki’s torso. “Tell me the truth.”

Tell me why they died for you.

Rewrite of Touka/Kaneki wedding scene with Kaneki and Mutsuki get happily married instead of Touka and Kaneki

“Do you think there are too many flowers?” Urie Kuki asks, squinting at the venue.

“What blasphemy did I just hear? There are never too many flowers!” Tsukiyama Shuu gasps from behind a pillar of roses.

“The cake is all set.” Yonebayashi Saiko skips in.

“Mutsuki’s gonna faint.” Nishiki Nishio laughs.

“Bets on who faints first.” Kirishima Ayato shouts. “I bet Kaneki!”

“Kaneki’s stronger than that now,” Touka informs her brother. She uses her ukaku to fly up to the top of the church to arrange a wreath of orchids.

“Put me down as Kaneki,” Aura Shinsanpei says sheepishly. Ayato nods with approval.

But as luck would have it, when Mutsuki appears down the aisle with Arima at his side, Kaneki’s knees do buckle. Ayato and Aura slap high-fives in the midst of the ceremony.

“This is so extravagant,” Mutsuki admits to Kaneki during their reception. “I had no idea you had such a lavish friend.”

“Neither did I for a while,” Kaneki admits. He reaches for Mutsuki’s hand. “Are you happy?”

“Very.” Mutsuki feels warm and secure and safe.

“Good.” Kaneki kisses him.

“Give back my glasses!”

Their attention immediately turns to the dance floor, where a very merry Yomo is prancing about with Nishiki’s spectacles.

Mutsuki laughs. He already loves all of his husband’s wild, crazy friends.